Officials say that five people have died and more than 100 have been hospitalized after taking Japanese health pills. This happened a week after the products were recalled by a pharmaceutical company. Some people did not like that Osaka-based Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. did not go public with problems right away, even though they knew about them as early as January. The first news to the public came on March 22.
According to the AP, two people had died earlier in the week. On Friday, the company said that five people had died and that 114 people were being treated in hospitals after taking goods with an ingredient called benikoji, a red species of mold, like Benikoji Choleste Help, which is meant to lower cholesterol.
The company that made the supplements said that they were still working with government labs to find out exactly what caused some people to have kidney problems after taking the supplements. Friday, President Akihiro Kobayashi and three other top company officials bowed for a long time to stress their apology to reporters. "We apologize deeply," they said. He told those who died or got sick that he was sorry, along with their families.
He also said he was sorry for the problems the company had caused in the medical field and the health food business as a whole. He added that the company was working to stop more damage and improve how it handled crises. Besides the company's goods, dozens of other items containing benikoji have also been recalled. These include crackers, miso paste, and a vinegar dressing.
The Japan Health Ministry's website has a list of all the recalled goods, which includes some that use benikoji as a food flavoring. The government said that the number of dead could keep going up. You do not need a prescription from a doctor to buy these pills. Some may have been bought or exported before the recall, even by tourists who did not know about the health risks.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical had been selling benikoji goods for a long time. In the last three fiscal years, a million packages were sold. But in 2023, vitamins made with benikoji had a problem. Last year, the business said it made 18.5 tons of benikoji. Some experts say that recent reform efforts, which made it easier and faster for health goods to get approved, are to blame for the growth in the economy.
According to the AP, two people had died earlier in the week. On Friday, the company said that five people had died and that 114 people were being treated in hospitals after taking goods with an ingredient called benikoji, a red species of mold, like Benikoji Choleste Help, which is meant to lower cholesterol.
The company that made the supplements said that they were still working with government labs to find out exactly what caused some people to have kidney problems after taking the supplements. Friday, President Akihiro Kobayashi and three other top company officials bowed for a long time to stress their apology to reporters. "We apologize deeply," they said. He told those who died or got sick that he was sorry, along with their families.
He also said he was sorry for the problems the company had caused in the medical field and the health food business as a whole. He added that the company was working to stop more damage and improve how it handled crises. Besides the company's goods, dozens of other items containing benikoji have also been recalled. These include crackers, miso paste, and a vinegar dressing.
The Japan Health Ministry's website has a list of all the recalled goods, which includes some that use benikoji as a food flavoring. The government said that the number of dead could keep going up. You do not need a prescription from a doctor to buy these pills. Some may have been bought or exported before the recall, even by tourists who did not know about the health risks.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical had been selling benikoji goods for a long time. In the last three fiscal years, a million packages were sold. But in 2023, vitamins made with benikoji had a problem. Last year, the business said it made 18.5 tons of benikoji. Some experts say that recent reform efforts, which made it easier and faster for health goods to get approved, are to blame for the growth in the economy.
